Nathaniel wiley rich



waited States @aient @Mira sail.

NATHANIEL WILEY RICH, 0F SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letter-s Patent N 102,158, dated April 19, 1870:

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR REEFING SAILS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part 0f the Same- To all persons to whom thesepresents 'ma-y come:

saihits mast, boom, and` ga with my ineans of reefi'ng such sail applied to it.

In the drawings- A denotes the sail; B, the boom; C, the gaff; and D, the mast, the applicationv ot' the sail to the gall" l and the mast being in the ways usually practiced.

In carrying out my invention there is to be fastened tothe two opposite leeches ofthe sail, two lines or ropes, a b, at the height of the .reef to he taken.

These ropes are to be led through guides c d, one of which is arranged. at or 'near the heel of the boom, and the other at a short distance from its toe,

4or in other words directly underneath the pot of at' taohment of the rope to the leech of the sail.

Each of such ropes at its free end is fastenedv to one' of two blocks o f.

Another or tackle rope, g, secured at one end to the aft block, is led through the other or forward block, andpartly around its sheave and next to and through the other or aft block,'the said rope and the two blocks constituting a tackle.

The several reef-points or lines hh h, with the exception of a few, h2, `which maybe inhoard, I lead through eyes i i t" fastened to the lower edge ot' the Each of these points or ropes, after having been led through one of the said eyes, is to be fastened to the hauling line b.

On pulling on the tackle-rope and lowering the gall, both leeches will be simultaneously drawn down, and thesail will be reefed. I

To effect, however, -the brailing of the part so reefed,

itis advisable to have a second set of reciting-tackle applied to the opposite side of the sail, such being represented in iig'. 2, wllere the tackle-rope thereof is shown at y', the reef-points at hph, the latter being led through the eyes c'. 'i c', and fastened to a brailing-line, b'.

The two brailing-lines attached to the sail-leeches are shown at a' and b', their blocks at e' j", and their' tackle-rope at g', the whole being applied together to the boom, the sail, and the reef-points h in manner as hereinbefore described with respect to the meting-tackle of the opposite side of the sail.-

From the above description it will readily be seen that a draught on the tackle-lines g g' will simulta neously bling down both leeches of the sail, as well as the part or parts of the sail tobe reefed, and, when the sail is reefed, the portion reduced will be brailed by the A two sets of reef-points.

The importance of having a good means of quickly reeling a mainsail, especially when the boom is long and extends far aft of the stern of the vessel, is well understood by mariners, as many valuable lives are yearly lostfor the want of such.

My reeiingtackle operates to excellent advantage, and enables a sail to be recfed from the deck with great facility and in a few moments.

From the above it will be seen that between the mast or forward leech, and each of' the series of reefing lines h or h,'the first of which is in close contiguity with the stern of the hull, there is a series of v common tying reef-points, h2, not connected with 'either of the leading-lines a b, or a. b' the reeting-lines or points which go through the eyes, and are attached to each of the lropes b or b', being vapplied mostly to that part of the sail which is' outboard.A

By using common reeflpoints on that part of the sail which is directly'over the deck, and, by having thev reeling-gear to be operated by the lines bb applied to that part 'of the sail which projects beyond the stern', we gain an advantage, as we save, by such, much friction and wear. that would otherwise result, and are enabled to operatel t-hc sail quicker and better.

I therefore make no claimI to the invention as described in the United Stateslatent No. 26,915, dated` June 24, 1860. l

I claim the arrangement of the series of common tying reef-points h2 applied to the inboard part ofv the sail, with the series of reeling-points applied to the outboard parts thereof, their leadingfliues a and b affixed to the fore and afth leeches of the sail, and the two blocks c f andtackle-rope gthereof, the whole being substantially asA described.4 i y y NATHANIEL WILEY RICH.`

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDr, J R. Snow. 

